Declines in financial resources and enrollment, and competition for students, are seen to be the principal factors in the future of community colleges. Financial resources have been diminished by cutbacks in federal and state funds, declining enrollment and the underrepresentation of nontraditional students in formula funding, and inflation. Headcount enrollments have been increasing because of the nontraditional student population, but at a decreasing rate. The community colleges are competing for students with proprietary schools as well as other postsecondary institutions, partly due to the recent wider availability of student aid. It is proposed that the challenge to community college administrators is to find underserved groups and new student constituencies whom the college can serve even under the current uncertain conditions of public financing. Among these groups may be the blind and deaf, women over 25, and the educationally disadvantaged. New modes of articulation and cooperation with other agencies will be needed. This will probably affect the hiring practices for faculty and administrators, perhaps adversely. (MSE)